Revenge of the Assassin (Assassin Series 2) by Russell Blake Page B

contemporary edifice in an upscale neighborhood with a mirrored-glass lower floor as street frontage, and a small sign announcing the Rodrigo Caleb Surgical Center. El Rey tried the front door, but it was locked. He noted a chrome button on the side of the doorjamb and pressed it. A few seconds later a low-pitched buzz vibrated through the frame, and he pushed the door open.
    The lobby area was all stainless steel and black leather furniture: ultra-modern, and obviously very expensive. Several large aerial photographs of Rio adorned the otherwise barren walls, illuminated by halogen spotlights. A breathtakingly beautiful nurse sat behind the severe reception desk, eyeing him neutrally.
    “I have a noon appointment,” he announced, approaching her.
    “Please fill out this form, and the doctor will be with you shortly.” She held forth a clipboard and a Mont Blanc pen. He was liking the clinic’s style so far. “Would you care for some water? Pellegrino? Fiji?”
    “No, thank you. I’m good.”
    He busied himself scribbling an invented medical history, and after six minutes returned the form to the nurse, whose only reaction was one eyebrow shifting upwards a scant millimeter. He wondered how much of her was surgically augmented and decided that it really didn’t matter – the net effect was absolutely riveting, even in a town full of beautiful women.
    Everything about the clinic said extremely expensive, which was exactly what he was hoping for. The last thing he wanted was a botched job by an economy hack.
    The console on the reception desk trilled, and the nurse murmured into an earbud before rising and gesturing to him.
    “The doctor will see you now.”
    Normally not one to spend a lot of time focusing on female charms, even he had to admit that the way she filled out her uniform would have been the envy of any men’s magazine in the world, and would have sold out an edition with her on the cover. He was getting a very good feeling about the doctor’s skill level.
    He followed her back to a large room with a desk, couch, and an examination chair much like a dentist’s. A man in his early fifties wearing a white physician’s coat rose from the desk and approached him with his hand outstretched.
    “Ah, Señor Guitierez. Nice to meet you,” he said in fluent Spanish with no trace of a Portuguese accent. “I am Doctor Caleb. Has Nina been attending to you satisfactorily?”
    “Yes. Everything is good. Pleased to meet you.”
    They shook hands as the nurse left, closing the door behind her.
    “What brings you to my establishment?” the doctor asked, studying the young man’s face.
    “I want to change my look. Alter my nose and give it a thinner shape, and perhaps a chin implant?”
    “Come sit in the exam chair, and let’s see what we have here. Would you like me to make suggestions, or do you have a very specific idea in mind?”
    “No, I just want something new. Definitely a change to my nose. I’ve always hated it. I got the idea for a chin implant from the television…” El Rey did his best to sound hesitant. “And if I don’t like the effect of it, I suppose I can always have it removed.”
    “Well, it’s not quite so easy, but let’s see if we can come up with a plan that will accomplish what you want.”
    They spent a half hour going over possibilities and agreed on a nose alteration, chin implant, and cheekbone augmentation.
    “We should do the procedures a week apart, at least,” the doctor advised.
    “No. I don’t have unlimited time. I’m only here for a few weeks, and I want it all done at once so I can go home looking different. And I’ll need an apartment with full-time care – do you have something like that?”
    “Yes, we have a full suite upstairs. Yours isn’t an unusual request. Many wish to remain sequestered while the bruising and trauma is attended to. Although I’ll caution you that it’s quite expensive to go that route…”
    “The money isn’t as important